McKINNEY, Texas (Court TV) — Cameras weren’t allowed inside the murder trial for a teenager convicted of killing another student at a high school track meet, but newly released photos are providing the first look at the evidence presented to the jury.
Karmelo Anthony is seen in handcuffs. (prosecution exhibit)
Karmelo Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of murder in the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. Anthony admitted that he stabbed Metcalf, but had argued at trial that he acted in self-defense when the victim threatened and shoved him.
Anthony stabbed Metcalf using a folding knife with a 3.5-inch blade; under Texas law, it is a crime to carry a knife with a blade over 5.5 inches. While Anthony did not commit a state crime by carrying the weapon, he violated school policy by bringing it to an athletic event.
Photos of the knife entered into evidence show it as it was found on the metal bleachers where Anthony tossed it after the stabbing. The blade could be popped out from the case using the thumb of one hand, but it was not a switchblade.
Knife used to stab Austin Metcalf. (prosecution exhibit)
The knife had been inside Anthony’s blue backpack; multiple witnesses testified that they saw him pull it out. A photo shown to the jury showed the bag’s contents included a charging cord, snacks, two pens, three word searches completed with yellow highlighter, keys and a comb.
Metcalf and Anthony attended different high schools and had no prior interactions before the track meet. Anthony, who attended Centennial High School, had gone to visit the tent for Memorial High School, which Metcalf attended. A text message shown to the jury between Metcalf and his coach revealed that the coach had asked the teen to step up and lead the rest of the team at the track meet. Testimony from other students who witnessed the altercation said that Metcalf interpreted his coach’s instruction to mean that he should ask any students who did not attend their school to leave the tent area. Metcalf approached Anthony and asked him to leave the area, which is what sparked the deadly confrontation.
The jury was tasked with seeing gruesome photos that showed the gaping wound Metcalf suffered to his chest; other evidence included a photo showing what appeared to be a drop of blood on the sweatshirt Anthony was wearing and the blood-covered jacket that Metcalf had worn.
Karmelo Anthony’s name appears on a plaque commemorating team captains. (defense exhibit)
Anthony’s defense presented evidence showing the defendant as a teen with close family ties, sharing photos of him at birthday parties and at home with family. Anthony was also seen as a leader at his own high school and was named a captain of the football team in 2024.
Anthony has filed a notice of appeal of his conviction and sentence. After the verdict, his parents blamed the jury, saying “their mind was made up already” and arguing that their son had only acted to protect himself.
Online records with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice show that Anthony is currently serving his sentence at a facility in Navasota, approximately 3.5 hours away from where the stabbing happened in Frisco. Records list him as becoming eligible for parole on Nov. 26, 2043, with a maximum sentence end date of May 27, 2061.
